Merchandising rack



Nov. 9; 1943. s. D. HEED ET AL 2,333,717

MERCHANDISING RACK Filed Dec. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l GREETING INVENTORS. SAMUEL .ZZ WEED BY AM'ELMER C'. Hnks.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 9, 1943. s, D, HEED Em 2, 333,717

MERCHANDISING RACK Filed Dec. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a m w 0 M mm m :4 T wjT A 4 a M w Patented Nov. 9, 1943 ATEN T OFFICE MERCHANDISING, RACK Samuel D. Heed, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Elmer 0..

Hake, Park Hills, Ky., assignors to The Gibson Art Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December a, 1940, Serial No. 368,378

8 Claims. 01312-120) This invention relates to merchandising racks of the type which are used in retail stores for the display, storage and merchandising control of greeting cards of various designs, sizes, prices and purposes. I

It is an object of our invention to provide in connection with such display racks means for indicating when the supply of any particular style, price or purpose of cards isnearly exhausted so that re-ordering becomes necessary. In the merchandising of greeting cards it is desirable to keep on hand a certain stock of each particular style, price and purpose'of card and by virtue of experience, the store merchant will re-order cards when the supply on hand attains a certain value. The examination of each-pigeon hole or compartment in a display rack or any other stock storage device to determine the number of cards in stock is tedious and uncertain.

With the above considerations in mind it is an object of our invention to provide means for automatically indicating when'the supplyof cards of any particular purpose'and price on hand has reached the minimum number at whichit has been determined advisabl to re-order. Another object of our invention is to provide an arrangement, as above outlined, which will be substantially fool-proof in operation, which will be extremely simple and "which will not materially add to the cos't'o'f merchandising or display racks.

A further object of our invention is to provide a combination display rack and greeting card container wherein the surplus stock of the greet-- ing card is held in the container directly back of the displayed card so that by pivoting the container one or more new cards may be removed and placed in display position in front of the container when theoriginal card has been sold.

A further object of our invention is to provide a pivoting display rack and container which permits the individual removal of each container from the rack without disarranging other containers and other displayed cards, and which while being pivotable and removable with extreme case is lockedin position in the rack so that the inversion of the complete display rack in shipping will not permit the individual containers to fall out.

Reference is now made to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a display rack embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective viewas seen from the rear of a greeting card container. 7 i

Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3 showing the other side of the container.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of our invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a stock or merchandising ticket which may be used with the invention.

Fig. '7 is a partial perspective view of the front of a container showing how a card indicating the lot number maybe held in position.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of. a, modified form of our greeting card container illustrating the locking feature of the pivot mechanism.

Fig. 9 is across section of our greeting card container shown in Fig. 8 taken on the line 9'9 of Fig. 8. V. r

Fig. 10 is a cross sectionof'our modified form of greeting card container taken on the section line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11- is a cross section of our modified form of greeting card; container mounted on the rack and in its locked position.

Fig; 12 is a cross section of our modified'form of greeting card container mounted on its rack in its-tilted and-unlocked position.

Fig. 13 is a perspective viewof a portion of the rack for holding our modifiedcontainer.

Briefly in the practice of our invention ,we providea plurality of containers of asize and shape to contain a number of greeting cards of a particular price and purpose. The individual containers are arranged for pivotal movement about theirsupport so thataccess may be had to the containers to removetherefrom or place therein greeting cards. Within the containers We provide a ticketholding device which is pivot-,

that atany time the drawer is opened the tickets I found in the drawer will indicate what price and purpose of greeting cards have reached the minimum in the containers and must be re-ordered.

Referring now more particularly to th draw n s, we have shown a rack comprising side wall members Hiya rear wall member II and a front strip l2. The side walls are preferably of generally triangular shape so that the display slopes rearwardly. Fixed between the side walls I and extending transversely of the rack are a number of L-shaped dividing bars indicated in the fi ures generally at I3. Mounted on the bars l3 are angle strips I4 which, as will be pointed out hereinafter, provide amounting for the containers.

The containers, as shown in Figs. '3 and 4, may be made of sheet metal or any desired material and comprise box-like structures indicated generally at l5 having an extended front face Hi. Struck out from the front face l5 are the lu s IT by which the containers are held my the dense pivotal engagement of said lugs -11 over th an.

gle members M as most clearly shown in 'Fig'. 2. It will b observed that the member I3 is rabbeted. as indicated at 18, to provide .a :seat for the free end of the front face l6. Each container may be positioned by inserting it 'in between two dividing bars. dB and en aging the members I! over the :ohamrel M as .iindlicated near the top of :Fig. 2. imlcasing theccontainer it will swing to the position :shcmm for the other ocrrtamers {L3 Fig. '2. It will be observed that theflront face In of the containers ma'ythawe a flange portion .49 and greeting cards my placed on display in from; of tthelcontainers nesting upon the members M and leaning [back a ainst the container as shown in Fig. 2 at to. The members it, :of course, some to maintain the cards nnldisplayihi alignment. Asshown '7, tugs 2.1 maylbe struck out from the member l8 to provide :tncans for holding a ticket .22 carrying the lot number or style mimber which will thus have visibility from the front of the rack The pivoted ticket holding device may take several forms of which we :have illustrated two. As shown in Fig. 3, we may provide a rod 213 extending across the container art any -.desired position. Pi-voted upon the midi! is a ticket holder 24 made from sheet metal or the like and having the flanges arranged to loosely hold a ticket in position. In ractic as shown in Fig. 2, any desired number of'oards which is to constitute the minimum on hand before re-ordering is placed in the container in front of the rod 23. The remaining cards are placed b hind the bar '23 with the member .24 in its upright position and containing a ticket as shown in the top and bottom containers in Fig. I5. It will be clear that'tilting of the container forward to remove therefrom a card will in no way afiect the member 24, it being understood that cards are e o ed first from the rear of the container. When the last c rs 1011 behind he rod 23 is removed, as shown in the second contain r from the top in Fig. 2, it will be clear that when this container returns to its normal tilted p sition, the pivoted member 24 is free to pivot downwardly through the cut-out ortion [5a of the Container (5. II";- this position, it will e clear that the ticket Z6 is free to fall out as shown in Fig. 2.

AS sh w in Fi 2, We provide a sloping chute 0 the like at 2 whereby the ticKetsZB' as they fall from he members 24 will be guided to a ra er 28 conveniently mounted at' the bottom f the disI layrack-near the front. An accumulaticn of dropped tickets is indicated. at 29. it will be clear that when the drawer is withdrawn the tickets 9 contained the drawer will indicate ac uratelyiust which prices and pur oses of cards must be re-ordered without the necessity of examining each rack or each container.

In Fig. 5 we have shown a modified structure wherein the member 24 and the rod l5 form a part of a bafile member 30 having flanges 3|. With this construction the pivoted member is, of course, not integral with the container and may be'removed if desired ;0r its position within the container may be altered since the bafiie 30 will fit freely in the container IS. The operabion of this modification is exactly the same as described above.

Figs. 8 to 13 inclusive show a modified form of our greeting \card icontainer. In thi instance the "rack-or strip 1 4a contains a slot 40, while the frontiace lb of the container has a downwardly struck-outprojecting finger 4| in addition to the lugs 1-1. Projecting from the front face 1-6 and below the end of the finger 4| is an abutment 42. The abutment 42 is spaced from the end of then-finger Al .at least a distance as great as the depth of the slot Ml;

.In such a way the container is positioned on the rack 14a with the finger 4.1 projecting through the slot 40 as is shown in Fig. 11.

Furthermore, it is apparent that the container may be tilted forward as .in Fig. 1.2 and while in that position may h removed by drawing the containers forward so that the finger will come out of the slot before the abutment 44 contacts the strip or 14a. N The ticket holder; 24 is hinged or pivdted to the stnip M secured to. the ends of the container and which is cut out as at 11.5., so .as to present a narrow portion at the point of pivot. By this construc .tion,;as a ntunber of cards are placed .in front of the strip 44 they will contact the edgeportion of the strip and will not tend to bend thgliivot line of the ticket hold-er; as is apparent in Fig; ll.- It will be clear that numerous modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, and such modificati-ons may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention; We therefore, do not intend to limit ourselves otherwise than as pointed out in the claims which follow.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device for greeting cards and the like comprising a rack and at least one greeting cardcontainer pivotally mounted in relation to said rack, a ticket holding device pivctally mounted in said container in a position where-greeting cards may be placed in said container both in front of and behind said device and a ticket loosely held in said device whereby when the sup ply of cards behind said device is exhausted; said device is free to pivot and said ticket is free to fallout.

2; A display device for greeting cards and the like comprising a rack and a number of greeting card containers pivotally mounted in relation to" said rack, a ticket holding device pivotally moun't ed in each of said containers in a position where' greeting cards may be placed in said containers both in front of and behind said devices and tickets loosely held in said devices whereby when the supply of cards behind said devices is exhausted, said devices are free to pivot and said tickets are free to fall out and means for piling together tickets discharged from said containers.

3. In combination with a container for greeting cards and the like, a ticket holding device provided in said container in a position in which cards may be placed in said container bothin front of and behind said device, said device in one position being adapted to retain a ticket and said device adapted to be retained in said position by greeting cards behind said device, said device in another position permitting said ticket to fall therefrom by gravity and said device being arranged to pivot to said other position when there are no cards behind said device.

4. In combination with a container for greeting cards or the like, a bar extending transversely of said container intermediate the front and rear thereof, a ticket holding device pivoted to said bar, the rear face of said container being cut away to permit said device to pivot to a downwardly extending position.

5. In combination with a container for greeting cards or the like, a bar extending transversely of said container intermediate the front and rear thereof, a ticket holding device pivoted to said bar, the rear face of said container being cut away to permit said device to pivot to a downwardly extending position, said bar being narrower at the pivot point so that cards contacting said bar will not interfere with the pivoting action.

6. In combination with a container for greeting cards and the like, a bafile element removably positioned within said container and a ticket holding element pivoted to said bafile element, the rear face of said container being cut away to permit said ticket holding element to pivot to a downwardly extending position.

'7. In combination, a container for greeting cards or the like and means for indicating when the supply of cards in said container has reached a predetermined minimum, said means comprising a member for holding a ticket within the container in a certain position of said member and means whereby said member is adapted to be held in same position by a card or cards in addition to said predetermined minimum and to be swung by gravity to a position in which the ticket will be discharged therefrom by gravity when said card or cards have been removed, whereby the discharged ticket will serve to indicate that said predetermined minimum has been reached.

8. The combination of a merchandising device or the like consisting of a display rack and a container for greeting cards and the like positioned behind said rack, said container being mounted in said device for pivotal movement, and signal means in said container adapted to be held against operation by a card in said container and to be released for operation by gravity upon the removal therefrom of said card for indicating at a place distant from said container when no card remains in holding position.

SAMUEL D. HEED. ELMER C. HAKE, 

